Aikido Yoshinkai Edmonton

🥋 1. Aikido trains the whole person, not just the fighter

MMA and BJJ develop superb combat athletes: strong, conditioned, and tactically sharp.
Aikido, however, is budo — a “way” (dō) rather than a “technique” (jutsu).
It’s a lifelong discipline aimed at cultivating:
• Calmness under pressure (heijōshin)
• Non-aggressive confidence
• Ethical restraint and empathy
• Awareness and self-mastery

Whereas MMA is about how to fight, Aikido is about how to live. It uses martial movement as a mirror to study one’s own ego, fear, and reactions.

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🌀 2. It emphasizes harmony over domination

Aikido’s genius lies in the principle of aiki — blending rather than colliding.
• Instead of meeting force with force, you absorb, redirect, and control it.
• This develops exquisite timing, sensitivity, and balance — skills equally useful in physical and social conflict.

This mindset transcends combat: Aikido teaches you to remain centered amid chaos — whether that chaos is an attacker, a stressful job, or a personal crisis.

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⚖️ 3. Control without cruelty

In real violence, the goal isn’t to win — it’s to survive and protect life.
Aikido’s techniques (joint locks, throws, immobilizations) are designed to:
• Neutralize aggression without excessive harm
• De-escalate situations
• Protect both attacker and defender

That’s a profound ethical advantage — especially for police officers, healthcare workers, educators, or anyone who may need to restrain rather than injure.

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🧘 4. A path toward inner stability

Aikido’s training rhythm — the bowing, circular motion, and constant practice of “entering” calmly — is moving meditation.
• It cultivates stillness in motion.
• It integrates body, mind, and spirit.
• It builds presence — the ability to act decisively without anger or fear.

MMA and BJJ offer physical catharsis and mental focus, but they rarely pursue this inner alignment as a central goal.

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⛩️ 5. Cultural and philosophical depth

Aikido is steeped in Japanese bushidō and Shintō philosophy.
It teaches respect (rei), etiquette, and an aesthetic of balance that connects to Zen, calligraphy, and tea ceremony — a holistic culture of refinement.

In this sense, Aikido isn’t just about combat — it’s about becoming a peaceful warrior, someone who moves through the world with awareness and grace.

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⚙️ 6. Longevity and inclusivity

Unlike MMA or BJJ — which can be tough on the body and often youth-oriented — Aikido is lifelong practice.
• Its movements can be adapted for all ages and physical abilities.
• You can train well into your seventies or eighties.
It’s about polishing yourself endlessly, not reaching a peak performance window.

Aikido offers something far beyond victory or defeat.
Where MMA and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu train us to overcome others, Aikido trains us to overcome ourselves. It transforms combat into a discipline of harmony—teaching how to control aggression without cruelty, how to remain calm amid chaos, and how to move through conflict without hatred. Rooted in the ethics and aesthetics of Japanese budō, Aikido refines character as much as technique, allowing strength to be guided by compassion and precision by peace. It is not merely a way to fight, but a way to live.

I thought to share this post by Ryan Slavin which was published few years ago on his blog. Enjoy it!

The efficacy of Yoshinkan

You may have come across people questioning Aikido’s practicality in a ‘real’ situation. You might have seen comments on YouTube or someone you know saying, ‘Oh, Aikido doesn’t work in real situations… but what if this happened… what if that happened… oh, if you don’t do grappling or floor work or competition then you never know if it really works’. I often have these conversations with Brazilian Jiu Jutsu (BJJ) or Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) practitioners. Well, I’d like to share this story with you to quell the theorising, instil further confidence in you and offer ‘real’ examples of why Yoshinkan Aikido is an effective and practical system of self-defense (over and above all the other incidental benefits of health, wellbeing, community, confidence, strength, flexibility etc.).

Some of you might know Kaido. He has been training in Yoshinkan Aikido for many years and is a 4th Dan Black Belt. Kaido works as a security guard and is soon to join the Queensland Police Force (QPS) this year. He is of average height and weight, and in the security field looks like a ‘pipsqueak’ compared to many of the man-mountains he works alongside. Kaido’s work primarily involves controlling crowds as a ‘rover’ in bars, pubs, sports events, concerts and music festivals, among others. He frequently has to defend himself and others against violent attacks of all kinds – he is confronted by individuals and groups of attackers, and often needs to get in the middle of violent confrontations between others in order to subdue and remove people from the premises to be taken away by the QPS. In short, his job can be quite dangerous!

Kaido works alongside security guards that come from a variety of backgrounds. Some boxers, MMA and BJJ practitioners, and even other Aikidoka (Aikikai). Let me relay his experiences from the conversations we have about his work.

As a ‘rover’, Kaido constantly moves around the premises where he is working to quell conflict and keep the peace. However, as I mentioned above, he often finds himself in the thick of the ‘action’. In many instances when he is neck-deep in people hurling abuse, fists, kicks and all kinds of attacks at him, he turns to see which members of his team are with him controlling the situation. What he sees is very interesting. The boxers and Kaido are often left to fly solo in the violent confrontations while the MMA, BJJ and Aikikai guards remain on the fringes setting up a perimeter of safety for others. (This is why he is given the role of ‘rover’, much to the astonishment of many when they see his size. And, the others are stationed in areas less volatile.) When Kaido asked the BJJ and MMA guards why they don’t engage in the confrontations and control the situation – but leave it up to him – they respond with, ‘But we are not trained to deal with this… We don’t know what to do with more than one attacker… I am worried about going to the ground in these situations…’ In short, their systems of training haven’t prepared them, nor instilled in them sufficient confidence, for the fluid and varied nature of real violent confrontation. Kaido claims that his Yoshinkan Aikido skills adequately allow him to control people in any situation. He uses joint locks such as ikkajo, nikkajo and sankajo to remove people all the time and rarely needs to rely on atemi (striking), especially as he must be wary of litigation and only use reasonable force in the control of unruly patrons.

I must say that I am by no means saying Aikido is ‘the best’ and that everything else is rubbish. This is not my point. What I am saying is that Yoshinkan Aikido is a practical system of self-defense that when trained regularly will work in real, violent situations – Kaido is a good example to support this. So please take confidence in what you do and embrace the holistic nature of Yoshinkan Aikido.

In terms of other arts, I believe that we should try to avoid comparisons like ‘this is good for…’ and ‘so and so art is the best for …’ or even ‘so and so art is better because…’ One should search for the system that best suits them: their needs and their character – I know Aikido is my best fit and I have confidence in its efficacy! However, irrespective of the art one might practice, the practitioner’s approach, dedication and spirit are what counts most after all! If it is simply about fighting, we should ask the question, ‘how is this making me a better human being?’

Enjoy your training in 2019!

Osu!

Ryan Slavin

Understanding Aikido by Bruce Allen Sensei Seven Basic Elements in the Practice of Aikido The following are the seven basic elements in all kihon dosa (basic movements) and classical techniques (as practiced at the Yoshinkan Honbu Aikido Dojo). They are also found in all martial arts and combative forms of self-defense....

BudoQuest 2022, hosted by IBK, April 30, 2022! Come train with high ranking instructors from various forms of traditional and modern Japanese budo! Will be an amazing day of Martial arts instruction (with more than a few laughs along the way).

Space is limited. Email us to reserve your spot!

Group photo. Thank you All and congratulations to Fab!

Congratulations to Fabrizio Giuliani for passing his Shodan test with Robert Mustard Shihan on Friday. It took hard work, commitment, an excellent Uke (Bryn Drummond) and obviously Bruce Allen Sensei's guidance. Additional thanks to Greg Pun for his continuous support and feedback and to Andrew McBride for being part of the testing team and for his comments. Finally, a big thank you to Robert Mustard Sensei for coming to Edmonton and making this event possible.

Sasoi

The Real Sasoi What is sasoi?Brilliant demonstration of the Sasoi concept by Takafumi Takeno Sensei.Такафумі Такено сенсей розкриває концепцію запрошення - СасоіТакафуми Та...

Yesterday, Jiyu Waza practice. Important concepts: Kamae, Maai, Zanshin. During the practice of Katate Mochi Jiyu Waza, I discovered another concept : Sasoi, inviting. Sasoi 誘い is a posture that lures Uke into making a move and be defeated. The english translation of the Japanese 誘い is : to invite, to tempt, to lure, to entice, to seduce, to provoke.